Can a Parked Honda CRV be Towed Away?

No problem for an equipped towing truck:

Here they do it the old fashioned way: the lift it from the front... and there they go!

Well, your question was "...if these cars can be towed away without damaging the transmission." The answer is, Yes your car CAN be towed without damage, the technology exists.

WILL the tow guy hook up and tow without damage? That remains to be seen; leave your car there a few days and report back after you retrieve it, would you?

You are right! To be honest, I have no idea on how much they care...

or they use a flatbed...

Any car can be towed away. If they have the means to open the door to release the parking brake. They also have the means to put the vehicle in neutral.

Any way unless you have an AWD CRV what the problem. It front wheel drive and that's how you said they tow them.

I just took a look at a picture of a local towing truck: these guys have one unwheeled cradle that is placed under the front wheels and a wheeled cradle to be placed on the rear. Most cars are only lifted from the front and dragged away. In some cases (AWD?) they put the wheeled craddle on the back, hoist it from the front... and there they go.

My feeling is that the guy on the truck is the one who decides if hes gonna break the transmission or not!

Well, so far I have learned that they CAN do it, if they WILL do it properly is another issue!

over a 80% of cars are manual here, this is my first "automatic" so I have no clue! Lets say they just drag it away: what is to be expected to get broken in the transmission?

if you return and it's gone the answer is YES!

I don't have an answer but it would be more difficult than this Toyota:

In most cases, the driver of the tow truck knows weather a car is front, rear or all wheel drive, and will hook the appropriate end. If the car will nor roll freely, the driver will get out the dolly wheels for the other end, and your car is gone. When one does this for a living, one learns many tricks. Like, if you have lifted the wrong end, or need both ends off the ground, you just hoist the end that you do have as far up as you can, wedge jack stands in front of the wheels still on the ground, lower the car till the other wheels are off, and lock the dollys together under the now hanging wheels. Lift the car up again, pull out the jack stands, and away we go.

Locked wheels at an end of the car that the tow truck can not get up against, No problem, hammer pre-designed wedges as far under the locked wheels as you can, and just pull it away a few feet. Now you have room to hook up th the locked wheels.

Forgot the wedges today did you, just get some liquid dish soap, and make a puddle in the direction you need to pull the car. That stuff is slippery enough to get you a few feet so you can access the correct end of the car. When you get paid only for the cars you move, you tend to get very clever.

It probably also has the gear shift mechanical over ride. Look for a little plug/window near the gear selector. All you need is a screwdriver to get it out of park. Battery not needed either.

In my car, you have to insert the key into the gear shift override to unlock it. It´s probably a safety feature to prevent it from being easily hoisted away....

"In my car, you have to insert the key into the gear shift override to unlock it. It´s probably a safety feature to prevent it from being easily hoisted away...."

Anti-theft mechanism.

YES.

Put gear shifting lever into N (neutral)

In Edinburgh, they use a flatbed & HIAB to lift offending vehicles. I have seen them try to move big cars with a 1.5T hoist - extended to the 0.75T setting. I used to have a car with a 2.5T gross - it would have been fun watching them try to shift that fully laden!

This was a lot of fun too:-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYcFy4Mc7n8

I've seen that used in many H&S training courses - typical under-estimation of original problem, so using cheapest method available instead of going one size larger to start and getting the desired result.

It's a fake. The same people watching the green crane are in the same position for the blue crane.

It really did happen. I live close to where it happened and remember it being in the local paper.

Thanks for clearing that up.

I guess the same ones who saw the first problem, liked it so much they stayed around - just in case!

I would have done too......

In Liverpool, the wheels get taken away, leaving the car sitting on bricks...

Over here they just pick it up and put onto a flat bed truck.

Bazzer

The car is normally front wheel drive and the rear wheels are only powered when there is slipping. On the 2005 there is a spot to take it out of park without using a key (for towing).

Not a problem! I was amazed on my first visit to London, when I saw these working.

London?

Aren't the cars on the incorrect side of the street?

Didn't say this picture was taken in London...just that I saw them doing this in London. Not sure where I found this...

Uh oh... I must have been speed reading again.

No, you were correct. The cars in England are ALWAYS on the wrong side of the road.

This is London where you park anywhere you can, and facing any direction.

Bazzer.

Are you sure the car was not stolen? As for towing, a slider truck could winch the vehicle up the ramp with the wheels locked, and if too difficult a little motor oil on the tires and it will move. Back to the driver of the recovery vehicle, there are a few out there that would take the vehicle and let the tires drag.

Around here, if your car is parked illegally, they use flat beds and get in front of it anyway they can, if they have to yank it at a 45 so beit, then they just winch it up the ramp tires screaming all the way. To get it off they secure the rear hook and drive it off the ramp tires screaming all the way off. If damaged, it's on you for parking illegally.

Tow drivers not responsible for damages. So make sure when you park, it's safe.

Taking my car would do me a favor!!

in park, you can only tow by lifting both front wheels or rear depending on whether drive is from rear or front.

Unless you have a hydraulic suspension Citroen, which has FWD and parking brake on the front wheels.